What punishment does the law impose for making a child beg?

In detail

Under Section 139 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, anyone who kidnaps a child or takes custody of a child without being the legal guardian, with the intention of using the child for begging, faces a minimum of ten years’ rigorous imprisonment, which can be extended to life imprisonment, along with a fine. If a person maims a child for the same purpose, the punishment is even harsher: a minimum of twenty years’ imprisonment, possibly for the remainder of the offender’s natural life, plus a fine. The law also presumes that a non‑guardian who employs a child for begging has kidnapped the child, unless proven otherwise. "Begging" is defined broadly to include soliciting alms in public, entering private premises to beg, displaying injuries or deformities, and using a child as an exhibit to attract donations. These provisions aim to protect children from exploitation and severe abuse linked to begging activities.